by M. D. Massey
‘Thropes. Madre de Dios! Real, honest to goodness ‘thropes. Shit!
As they approached the spot where we’d left the trail, the ‘thrope who had been speaking paused and the others stopped as well. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but I heard him sniffing the air and hoped that the scent of the unwashed human next to him and the strong smell of juniper cedar would cover our scents.
The human spoke. “Did you smell sumthin’?”
“If I did, it would be no concern of yours.” He waited another moment, and I knew that he was listening for any sign of us. For all the ‘thrope knew, we could have passed a few minutes or a few hours ago. Several more seconds passed, then they began moving down the trail again.
We sat very, very still and quiet for a long time after they passed out of sight and our range of hearing. I estimated that they must have been a quarter-mile down the trail when Tony gave me the signal to move as fast as I could manage while not making noise, directly west from our current position. We didn’t stop until we were more than two miles from where we’d seen the ‘thropes.
Tony sipped some water and I did the same. “It’s too dangerous to have you out here with me, Gabby. I need to take you back to the Facility.”
“But who else is going to watch your back? I’m here and I can help. We’re not going to let these jerks scare us away, are we?”
He grabbed my arm, almost violently, and pulled me close to him. His face was just inches from mine. “Trust me when I say this: you would not survive a face-to-face battle with a ‘thrope. Maybe when you’re older and you’ve grown fully into your abilities. But now, no.”
He reached for a magazine on the opposite side of his belt from his holster and changed out the ammo in his pistol. I knew he often carried silver rounds in case we ran into vamps on the trail, but these weren’t silver. They were strangely shaped and looked like no ammo I’d ever seen him use before.
After he racked a round in his pistol, he looked up at me with concern. “Gabby, we need to get moving, just in case—”
Before he could finish his sentence, a huge gray-brown shape came barreling out of the brush from the south. Tony spun, pulling me down and firing twice at the creature. The rounds hit it in the neck and stomach, and half the ‘thrope’s neck disintegrated into a bloody mist where the first bullet hit. The other round left a fist-sized hole in the ‘thrope’s torso, large enough to see daylight clean through its guts. I saw all this as I ran backward, pulled along by Uncle Tony as he dragged me through the brush at a jog.
I heard movement to our right and left, and I realized they had nearly surrounded us. Recognizing the danger we were in, I spun around and began running for all I was worth, knowing that my surprise and indecision were slowing us down. I soon outpaced Tony, and had a lead on him as we sprinted through the woods. As my uncle ran a few paces behind me, I heard the distinctive sound of his machete clearing the sheath. Tony’s machete was more like a short cutlass, and he favored it for close-in work. That’s when I knew we were in a fight for our lives.
Another wolf burst out of the trees in front of me, its massive clawed hand swiping at my face. I ducked and slid through the leaves and decayed vegetation on my knees, leaning back and arching my neck to see Tony dance around the ‘thrope like a matador in a bullfight. But Tony had no red cape—only a sword and his 9mm pistol, and that was all he needed. He fired at the ‘thrope’s head, and it moved just enough to dodge the round. But Tony was an artist, and his every move was planned to set up the next. As the wolf leaned away from the muzzle of his pistol, Tony sliced its leg nearly in two at the thigh, and the leg buckled. Then my uncle slashed with his machete and severed the beast’s head from its shoulders.
All this happened while I was still sliding on my knees, before I hopped back to my feet.
Two more ‘thropes leapt from the trees at us, and one slapped the gun from Tony’s hands. I drew my crossbow and shot that one in the shoulder as Tony danced among them, slashing and spinning, cutting and twirling in a way I’d never seen him move in sparring practice. He was both graceful and brutally efficient, hacking and stabbing in places where his movements would have the most effect. One of the ‘thropes fell to Tony’s attacks, and the other backed away, perhaps to wait for reinforcements.
The lull in the battle gave Tony time to turn and look at me, and our eyes locked for just for an instant as he screamed a command.
“Run, Gabby—run!”
I ran.
THIRTEEN
SWIFTER
My first thought was to run back to the safe house and hide out there, and wait for Tony to show up. I honestly wanted to help him, but he looked like he could handle those ‘thropes, and he didn’t need me there to distract him while he was fighting. If my presence caused him to lose focus, it might get him killed.
Besides, he was right; I wouldn’t be much help to him. That ‘thrope hadn’t even noticed the bolt I’d put in him. It may as well have been a flea bite, for all the good it did. Nope, I was no help to him in a fight against those things, and thinking about it brought tears of anger and frustration to my eyes. I wiped them clear and ran on at a full sprint, not caring about stealth, just trying to put distance between me and the ‘thropes.
And Uncle Tony.
It was best that I didn’t think about that right now. I kept reminding myself that he’d looked to be doing just fine against them, even outnumbered. The way he’d taken out those two wolves had been on a level I’d never seen from him before. For the last several months I’d been holding my own when I sparred with him. Or, at least, I thought I had. Now I knew that he’d been holding back, and I wasn’t quite as dangerous as I had thought—at least not in hand-to-hand combat.
The serum had ended up being both a blessing and a curse to me. On the one hand, I could run longer, see further, smell and hear better, and react more quickly than any normal person. I was very grateful for the ability of running quickly at the moment. On the other hand, my growth had been stunted, or halted, or slowed. I really didn’t know which. Sometimes I had nightmares that I’d be trapped in a twelve-year-old’s body all my life, like this creepy little vampire girl from a movie I’d seen at a friend’s house before the War. That kid had been a real bitch—not my friend, but the girl in the movie. I didn’t blame her, though, because I knew her frustrations well.
I kept running the attack through my mind, replaying the events to see if there was any point where I might have been able to turn the tables, or at least give Tony an advantage. I realized that I’d been virtually useless from the moment they attacked. Leaving Tony back there had been difficult, but it was the best decision from a strategic standpoint. Even so, I wished I’d been able to do more.
Being small for your age was one thing when you still looked your age. But for me, I looked at least four years younger than I was. That was bad enough on its own, but when you added the physical disadvantages of being small it made it even worse to live with. I had all this training, and all the abilities the serum gave me, but this battle had revealed a harsh truth. Against a really dangerous enemy, I was worthless. No, I was worse than worthless. I was a liability.
Still, whining wasn’t going to do me any good if I ran into those ‘thropes again. And despite my size, what could I have done? I dunno, maybe shoot them in their gross backwards knees? Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. I knew from what Tony had taught me that ‘thropes healed fast, but planting a bolt in a knee might at least give me the chance to escape, if I ran into another one. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to put that idea to the test.
In the distance behind me, I heard a wolf howl, then I heard another howl in response. I had to assume that they were tracking me, and I also had to assume that Tony was dead if they were. Or, maybe he’d escaped? I couldn’t be certain unless I doubled back, which was probably the last thing the wolves expected, anyway.
I stopped with my hands on my knees, panting but not tired much at all.
I reached into my pack for my emergency bag of tricks. I pulled out a plastic bottle full of deer urine and poured a small amount over my hands. Then, I rubbed it all over my bare skin and clothes. The smell of it was awful, and it overwhelmed my sense of smell instantly, but hopefully it would cover my scent and throw the wolves off my trail. While I tried to avoid breathing through my nose, I headed ninety degrees to my left in a southerly direction, stepping on rocks and fallen logs as much as possible and working very hard to leave no trail or sign of my passing.
After traveling a half-mile south, I turned west and headed back to where we’d been ambushed. When I was within a quarter-mile of the site, I slowed down a lot and focused on moving unheard and unseen. Along the way, I stalked right by a momma deer and fawn bedded down to escape the midday heat. Neither one was aware of my presence until I was right on top of them, and the doe blinked at me in shock as I passed, not moving an inch in hopes she would remain unseen. I imagine that the smell of buck urine confused her even more, and figured that she had no idea what to make of me. I moved on, listening intently for any sounds that might let me know a ‘thrope was near.
Then it occurred to me that if a predator was still in the area, the deer and her fawn would be long gone. I also heard birds in the trees, which was another good sign. I decided to move with caution just the same, and it took me thirty minutes to reach the area where we’d gotten jumped.
The first thing I saw was a ton of blood where Tony had killed the first wolf. But there were no bodies to be found. Apparently, the wolves had taken their corpses. Some folks would burn their dead, for fear of them coming back. Others would cut their heads off and remove their hearts, Romanian style, to prevent them from coming back as a vamp. It was pure superstition, of course; you had to be bitten to come back from the dead. But Lorena had once told me that some of the SNEs believed that their bodies could be used in magic rituals, so they guarded their dead with care. As I recalled, ‘thropes were among those who followed that custom.
Based on what I already knew and what I’d seen today, it seemed to me that the wolves were more human than other supernaturals. That was information that might come in handy later. While I tried to remember anything else about the ‘thropes that might be of use, I continued to search the area for any sign of what happened to my uncle. I also hoped I might find his pistol, because that special ammo he had used could come in handy. A wider search of the area still turned up no bodies and no pistol, which was a good thing, since it meant that Tony might have escaped. There were a lot of werewolf tracks, though, and I found Tony’s tracks among them near where I’d last seen him.
How many wolves were there? I wondered as I looked around. There were so many tracks, it was difficult to make out how many of them had been through here. Maybe a half-dozen of them or more from the looks of it, but I was just guessing. For all I knew, it could have been a dozen, given the way the ground had been marked and torn up in the struggle and chase.
I studied the ground carefully and saw that he’d fought two wolves, and it appeared that he’d killed both of them. The tracks I found suggested that their bodies had been carried away to the northeast by other ‘thropes. But Tony’s prints headed off to the northwest. I followed his trail to a concrete drainage culvert that led to a paved road, and that’s where his trail vanished.
Well, he was alive. That was something. I figured he’d head back to the safe house and wait for me to show. That was our standard plan; if we got separated we’d rendezvous back at our last camp, if it was safe. As far as I knew, the safe house location hadn’t been exposed, so that’s where I headed. I comforted myself with the knowledge that in a few hours I’d be back with Tony and everything would be alright.
FOURTEEN
TRANCE
Once I got to the safe house, I used a stick and a length of fishing line to get inside. I wedged the stick against the horn to release the lock, and pulled it out with the line before I entered the building. But there was no sign of Tony anywhere—not in the building, not outside the building, not even a note or rumpled covers on his cot. I decided to wait, thinking that he might be leading the ‘thropes away before heading back here. I stayed up until well past midnight waiting, and then turned off the lamp and fell asleep.
That night I dreamed of being chased by wolves, and of Uncle Tony being savaged by their long sharp teeth and claws. I didn’t sleep well at all, and woke up groggy and miserable. I sat up on the bed and saw the empty bunk next to me, and my heart sank a little. Maybe Tony had gotten killed, or captured; maybe he wasn’t coming back. I pushed the thought out of my mind, and dug around the place for some instant coffee while I waited for water to heat over a can of Sterno.
What the heck was I supposed to do? I hadn’t spent a whole lot of time outside the Facility, just training missions and the occasional trip to a punter camp or outpost with Tony. I didn’t really know anyone out here, and I’d never been out by myself. Sure, I had skills and I wasn’t exactly human, so I had advantages. But getting back to the Facility on my own without getting caught seemed like a tall order. I wanted to badly for Tony to show up, to walk through that steel door and tell me everything was going to be alright.
But I suspected that wasn’t going to happen. If Tony had gotten away clean, he’d have already arrived. He was either hiding out at any of a dozen safe houses we had set up all over the central Texas area, or he had ditched the ‘thropes and headed back to the Facility without me. Or, they caught him and took him away or killed him. No matter the outcome for Tony; if he didn’t show up soon, I really was on my own.
I sipped my coffee and enjoyed the warmth and bitter taste while I considered my choices. Option one, wait for Tony to show up. I had enough food for a few days, and we had water to last a week in here. That was probably the safest plan; wait it out for several days, and if Tony didn’t show I could head back to the Facility after things had settled down.
Second option: go look for him. That was a stupid idea, and I’d already risked a lot by doubling back to look for him. Even now there could be a wolf on my trail, just because I’d been stupid enough to not just keep running once I was safely away from the ‘thropes. I ditched that idea right away.
My third option was to head back to the Facility immediately. I liked that idea best since it didn’t involve waiting, which I was horrible at, and it meant that I could get Lorena’s help and advice on finding Tony. But I decided to compromise and wait around until noon to see if he showed. Tony never came, and after spending five hours pacing the small room, I knew that it was time to head out. I ate a small meal, packed my bag, and locked the place up tight. Once outside, I stayed hidden and listened for several minutes, making sure nothing was waiting for me unseen. Then I headed southwest toward home.
About three miles from the safe house, I started thinking that maybe Tony had hidden out at the punter camp. It would make sense if he’d been hurt, or if he thought I might head back there to look for him. I was grasping at straws, but I wanted to be thorough, and it wouldn’t take me far out of my way to stop by and ask Cinnamon if she’d seen him. I changed course immediately and headed for the camp. Once I was within sight of the walls, I stayed hidden until nightfall.
Sneaking in past the kids they had guarding the walls was easy. Tony wasn’t nearly as stealthy as I was, partly because of his size, but also because I was just better at moving unseen. I stayed out of sight as I snuck through the camp and to the back entrance of Cinnamon’s trailer.
I had to wait several hours while she plied her trade with an assortment of men. I tried my best to filter out the disgusting sounds they made and their X-rated conversations, but I ended up getting a crash sex ed course instead. Even though I’d lost my uncle, and I’d nearly been killed by ghouls twice in two days, and I’d also been attacked by werewolves who were probably still looking for me, the few hours I spent outside Cinnamon’s place was not the highlight of my week.
Yep, definitely a low point
in my life. No doubt about it.
After the last punter had left, I waited a few more minutes and knocked softly on the back door. I heard Cinnamon yell sharply from the bedroom. “I’m done fer the night—go away!” I knocked again, louder this time, and heard her tromping from the back room to the door, which swung open so fast I had to lean back to avoid getting clobbered.
She looked down at me with contempt, and then her face softened and she cooed with pity. “Aw, girl, what’s happened to you? And where’s Tony?” She stepped back from the door and looked me up and down. “C’mon inside before someone sees you. C’mon now, I don’t bite.”
I entered the place and looked around, not really sure what to say. Cinnamon waited for me to speak, and I worked up enough courage to say what had to be said. “I lost Tony. You seen him?”
“Aw, sugar—I sure haven’t. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll make you some hot tea? Go on, have a seat, and let me get somethin’ hot in you. It’ll make you feel better.” I did as she asked, and busied myself by fiddling with some crumbs on the table while she prepared the tea.
“We got jumped by some ‘thropes several miles north,” I said. “I went back to look for him, but he was gone. I guess he got away—unless they took him.”
Cinnamon gave me a motherly look and clucked her tongue.
“I’m sure Tony’ll be fine, sweetie. He’s a tough one, that Tony. Always was good to me, he was.” She sashayed over to the table and set a hot mug down in front of me. I figured the cleanliness of the cup was suspect, but I was mentally and emotionally exhausted and could use the pick me up. I sipped the tea and listened as she rambled on about Tony and how he rescued her.
